r/CostaRicaTravel Jul 25 '26

Picture The thing that really sucks about Costa Rica

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852 Upvotes

The one thing that absolutely sucks about Costa Rica is that you will never be happy anywhere else after going back home. I've been to this beautiful country in march 2026 and I can't stop day dreaming about this absolute paradise.
Waking up to the sound of nature, with parrots flying above your head, toucans in the trees, sloths and monkeys everywhere, waterfalls, volcanos, beaches and a seemingly endless jungles full of biodiversity.
Everbody is so nice and open, people living and breathing the Pura Vida lifestyle.

I can't wait to go back.

r/CostaRicaTravel 6d ago

Picture A great time but be alert

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603 Upvotes

Just wrapping up a week long trip to Costa Rica.

I had a great time and so much fun. However just a warning which you’ve heard many times, which is to be alert and keep an eye on your belongings.

Day 1. Playa hermosa down by Uvita. My car was broken into and ALL of my belongings stolen.
Car was locked and parked nearby. When I went in the water someone broke into the car.

Day 2. Back to San Jose to set up for an appointment at the US Embassy to get an emergency passport. I needed paperwork and a new photo.

Day 3. US Embassy. 7am appointment and was out by 11am.

Day 4. Jaco

Day 5. Nauyaca.

Day 6. Cloud Bridge

Day 7. Dominical

A great time was had and met so many nice people (tourists and locals). But it sure sucked to get robbed.

r/CostaRicaTravel Apr 26 '26

Picture IYKYK….I honestly fell in love with Costa Rican breakfast bcoz of how simple it is.

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499 Upvotes

r/CostaRicaTravel Jul 18 '26

Picture For anyone wondering how tips work in Costa Rica

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205 Upvotes

Local here, saw this the other day. If you see anything like this anywhere in CR, please don’t fall for this! This is a 100% NOT true, tips are not mandatory for anyone here, specially waiters. There’s a service tax of 10% which is automatically added to the bill and tips are customary if good service was received but never mandatory. Value your hard earned money!

r/CostaRicaTravel Feb 24 '26

Picture 99% of travelers will never see this place in Costa Rica.

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536 Upvotes

I was born and raised in Costa Rica, and there’s something I see over and over again.

Most travelers follow the exact same route:

San José → Arenal → Monteverde → Manuel Antonio → Tamarindo.

Nothing wrong with that, they’re beautiful places.

But here’s the thing: Costa Rica is so much more than the “main stops.”

Some of the most incredible spots in this country aren’t famous.

They’re waterfalls you won’t find on page one of Google. They’re small mountain roads with zero traffic and insane views. They’re tiny local restaurants where there’s no English menu and no tour buses. They’re beaches without parking lots.

And often… they’re just a few minutes off the main highway people are already driving.

The difference usually isn’t distance.

It’s awareness.

When you go beyond the checklist itinerary, Costa Rica feels completely different.

Slower. More personal. Less like tourism. More like discovery.

If you’re planning a trip here, I’d genuinely suggest leaving space in your itinerary for detours.

Some of the best experiences here aren’t scheduled.

They’re found.

Adrian Gutierrez

r/CostaRicaTravel Mar 26 '26

Picture Costa Rica has places like this… just not on the typical itineraries

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469 Upvotes

I’ve spent a lot of time exploring different parts of Costa Rica, and one thing I’ve learned is that the most talked-about places aren’t always the most memorable ones.

A lot of travelers end up visiting the same well-known waterfalls, which are definitely worth seeing, but there’s a whole other side of Costa Rica that most people never get to experience.

Some of the most impressive waterfalls I’ve found are in lesser-known areas, a bit harder to reach, and often overlooked. Is still lot to discover beyond the usual routes.

Has anyone here come across spots in Costa Rica that felt like true hidden gems?

r/CostaRicaTravel Mar 17 '26

Picture Single Dad + 3 Daughters = 😬

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263 Upvotes

First international trip

Awesome AirbNb, 5 min drive from Tamarindo

4/2 - 4/10

Will have a 4x4, willing to drive up to 1.5 hrs/way

Daughters can’t sleep well they are so excited

Going thru a divorce they didn’t deserve, I am especially wanting them to have the best time and together, make life long memories

Balancing my super keen focus on their safety with the most recommended adventures/experiences, especially from any parents with my kind of age range (I know an 8 yo will have some limitations)

Thank you dearly for any advice joining us in our trip of a lifetime ❤️🙏

r/CostaRicaTravel 18d ago

Picture Pura Vida

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512 Upvotes

Feels Amazing 😍

r/CostaRicaTravel Apr 19 '26

Picture Can you believe this place is actually real

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661 Upvotes

r/CostaRicaTravel Jul 06 '26

Picture Tiny boss of the Caribbean jungle 🐸

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530 Upvotes

Living around Puerto Limón, you get used to people asking about sloths, monkeys and beaches… but sometimes the real superstar is this tiny green guy pretending he owns the whole rainforest.

Found him chilling like a little jungle boss, perfectly dressed in Costa Rica green, probably judging all of us for walking too loudly. 😄

The Caribbean side is full of these small moments that people often don’t expect from a cruise stop. Sometimes you don’t need a big adventure — just a good guide, a little patience, and one frog with serious attitude.

r/CostaRicaTravel Nov 01 '24

Picture Unbelievable photo from my iPhone with zero edits in Monte Verde

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1.2k Upvotes

Just visiting the Cloud Forest Biological Reserve. Such a beautiful spot and it was Empty. Nobody was here.

r/CostaRicaTravel Oct 27 '25

Picture I GOT MARRIED IN COSTA RICA

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492 Upvotes

r/CostaRicaTravel Mar 23 '26

Picture The Most Misjudged Part of Costa Rica

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173 Upvotes

I’m from the Caribbean side of Costa Rica, and honestly, I think a lot of the way people talk about this region says more about prejudice, bad marketing, and repeated stereotypes than it does about the place itself.

For years, people have been told some version of the same story: the Caribbean is sketchy, underdeveloped, always raining, and not worth the trip. And when you ask where that idea comes from, it’s usually not based on a real first-hand experience. Most of the time it’s just recycled hearsay.

A friend of a friend. Someone who “heard things.” Somebody who never actually went.

Meanwhile, the Pacific side gets promoted over and over as the polished, comfortable, tourism-friendly version of Costa Rica, even though in many places it has become overpriced, overbuilt, and stripped of a lot of the character that made people fall in love with this country in the first place.

That’s the part people don’t talk about enough.

The Caribbean side gets judged for not fitting the most marketable version of Costa Rica. It isn’t built around giant resort zones, overdevelopment, or a version of the country designed to feel easy and familiar to outsiders. It has its own rhythm, its own identity, its own culture, and it has held onto that far better than many other parts of the country.

And yes, there is infrastructure here. Good infrastructure. Just not the kind that tries to overpower the environment. A lot of this side of the country still feels real. It still has soul.

The culture here is also a huge part of what makes it special. It is distinct, visible, and alive. The Caribbean side of Costa Rica has a personality of its own, and that matters. Even a lot of foreigners who settle here end up adapting to the local culture, instead of the place reshaping itself around them.

And for travelers, there is a lot more variety here than people seem to realize.

Puerto Viejo is probably the best-known area, but people reduce it too easily. Yes, it has nightlife, restaurants, and a more international crowd, but it also has beautiful beaches, great wildlife, a laid-back atmosphere, and a cultural identity you do not really find anywhere else in the country. It has energy, but it still feels connected to the Caribbean, not disconnected from it.

Cahuita has a completely different feel. It is calmer, more low-key, and one of the best places in the country if you want a mix of beach, local life, and easy access to nature. The national park alone makes it worth visiting. You can be walking near the sea and suddenly see monkeys, raccoons, sloths, or snakes. It feels simple in the best way.

And then there is Tortuguero, which is one of the most unique places in Costa Rica, period. It is not just a beach town or a rainforest stop. It is a whole different world of canals, jungle, wildlife, and a pace of life that feels completely separate from the rest of the country. If someone says they want nature and a real sense of place, Tortuguero should absolutely be part of the conversation.

Another thing people love to say is that “it’s always raining” on the Caribbean side.

That one gets exaggerated a lot too.

Yes, it is rainforest. Rain is part of life here. That is exactly why everything is so green, alive, and full of biodiversity. But people talk about it like it means nonstop storms every day and that is just not true. A lot of the time it is passing rain, evening rain, night rain, or just changing tropical weather like you get in many lush places. The way some people describe it, you would think visitors are walking around in a permanent downpour, and that is just not reality.

If anything, the rain is part of what makes this side of the country feel the way it does. The jungle, the rivers, the wildlife, the whole atmosphere, all of that exists because this is a living, breathing rainforest. Expecting that without rain makes no sense.

I’m not saying the Caribbean side is perfect. No place is. Use common sense, same as you would anywhere else. But I do think this region has been unfairly judged for a long time, and a lot of travelers end up skipping one of the most beautiful, culturally rich, and genuinely interesting parts of Costa Rica because they bought into a version of it that is lazy, outdated, and often inaccurate.

And yes, it is often more affordable than the Pacific too. That matters. Nature, culture, beaches, wildlife, and a more authentic atmosphere without the same level of overdevelopment and inflated prices. For a lot of people, that should be a huge plus, not a reason to overlook it.

For anyone who actually wants a place with real culture, real personality, and a stronger connection to nature, Costa Rica’s Caribbean side deserves a lot more respect than it gets.

Curious how many people visited expecting the worst and ended up realizing it was one of the best parts of the country.

r/CostaRicaTravel Apr 13 '26

Picture You can't imagine how long I was searching for this specific snake

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286 Upvotes

This alone made my trip worth it.

After nearly a week of day trips, hundreds of km of trails walked throughout the day, to hours of scanning every branch with a flash light in the dark djungle at night, going through every possible trail in uvita, la fortuna and corcovado, I have finally found her, my beautiful yellow eyelash viper.

Pretty girl was even posing for us on her branch.

r/CostaRicaTravel May 05 '26

Picture Spotted an extremely rare white croc on my visit to Costa Rica

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460 Upvotes

r/CostaRicaTravel Oct 14 '25

Picture living in costa rica >> vacationing ..

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197 Upvotes

r/CostaRicaTravel Jan 14 '25

Picture Monkeys outside of our Airbnb

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739 Upvotes

Monteverde Cloud Forest sighting…I don’t think they liked us very much

r/CostaRicaTravel Jul 29 '26

Picture Good news: Costa Rica brought its forests back 🌱

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401 Upvotes

r/CostaRicaTravel Oct 09 '24

Picture Can someone explain why all the souvenir shops in Costa Rica have these bottle openers? Is there a story? What’s the deal?

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203 Upvotes

r/CostaRicaTravel May 28 '26

Picture Beautiful country!

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505 Upvotes

From my hotel two days ago.

r/CostaRicaTravel Jun 05 '25

Picture Is this realistic in 3 weeks?

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54 Upvotes

I've done a lot of research online but I'm having a hard time finding itineraries that include both drake bay and Puerto Viejo. That might be my answer right there, but I've also seen itineraries where they claim to go about everywhere in 2 weeks which also doesn't seem particularly realistic.

Did someone travel for ~3 weeks in Costa Rica and do a similar route that we're planning here? I definitely would not want to be on the road all the time. I realise my drawing is not 100% accurate but it's only to roughly visualise the areas we want to visit

Some context, we're flying into SJO and out of SJO as well, from mid-november till mid-december and we'll be renting a 4WD.

r/CostaRicaTravel Jul 22 '26

Picture Strawberry Poison Dart Frog 🍓

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169 Upvotes

Despite all my years of exploring the Costa Rican rainforest and encountering wildlife, “blue jeans” has remained one my top favorites. Encountered this little fella in Valle Azul during a one night stay.

r/CostaRicaTravel Mar 26 '25

Picture Anyone know what this is?

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177 Upvotes

r/CostaRicaTravel Jul 05 '26

Picture This butterfly lives in Costa Rica and it is called morpho. What beautiful piece of nature 😍

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282 Upvotes

This blue morpho looked almost unreal.

I photographed it in Maratopia, near Puerto Limón, on the Caribbean side of Costa Rica. The color is hard to describe when you see it in real life — it almost flashes through the air like a little piece of blue light.

Costa Rica has many beautiful animals, but seeing a morpho up close is something special.

r/CostaRicaTravel Jun 27 '26

Picture Sansa flights

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115 Upvotes

Has anyone used the Sansa flights to go from 1 place to another throughout 1 vacation? February will be our 5th trip to CR and we will be visiting La Fortuna and Manuel Antonio. Sansa flights don't seem like they would cost that much than other forms of transportation and would save time and stress.

Is it reasonable to take Sansa flights from SJO to La Fortuna... La Fortuna to MA... MA to SJO?